Game Changers
State regulators address transformative forces.
In Fortnightly’s Regulators’ Roundtable, commissioners from Idaho, Illinois, and Minnesota consider transformative forces and the regulatory response.
OMS
Taming Distributed Energy
How advanced distribution management systems are key to integrating distributed resources.
Fast growing distributed resources create technical challenges for utilities. Advanced DMS technology promises to help keep local grids balanced.
Big Data, Big Change
Analytics chart a path for industry transformation.
“Without integrating operational data with traditional IT data, I don’t think the industry would be any further along than it was five or 10 years ago.”
~Steve Ehrlich, Space Time Insight
Sandy and the Smart Grid
Disaster shows the need for grid modernization. Is technology up to the challenge?
With a road map for planning, utilities can realign organizations, integrate systems, and satisfy stakeholders. The destination: a more resilient grid
Killing the Goose
Second thoughts on transmission’s golden egg.
The electric utility industry offers up a wealth of ideas on how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission might reform its policy, adopted under FERC Order 679 in 2006, of granting financial incentives for investments in transmission line projects that ensure reliability or mitigate line congestion so as to reduce the cost of delivered power. Fortnightly’s Bruce W. Radford reports.
People (November 2011)
Exelon and Constellation announce post-merger executive lineup; Xcel Energy names new CFO and general counsel; Organization of MISO States elects new officer; plus senior staff changes at FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating, American Electric Power, Alterra Power, and others.
Killer App
Distribution management at the smart grid frontier.
The hype over smart grid has become focused on the idea of “advanced distribution management systems” (ADMS). But so far, few utilities have implemented ADMS beyond pilots and incremental tests. Fortnightly analyzes the technology trends and profiles examples of true ADMS in action.
Greening the Local Grid
Smart solutions for distributed renewables.
The goal of implementing a distribution management system (DMS) is to upgrade isolated, hands-on grid management processes into an interconnected and automated platform. This technology is transforming the way utilities operate distribution networks, and setting the industry on a path toward seamless integration of distributed resources—both supply and demand.
New Directions in Distribution Management
Advanced systems turn ‘event-driven’ binary schemes into hybrid hierarchical controls.
Advanced distribution management systems (DMS) are providing unprecedented levels of control and efficiency. With greater knowledge about system loading and status, utilities can better make investment decisions—and operators will be better able to keep the lights on as the power system evolves.
Vendor Neutral
Burbank Water and Power selects Tropos Networks for smart grid project, Survalent Technology installs SCADA system for Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association, Gemma Power Systems signs contract with Bishop Hill Energy, American Superconductor selects subcontractors for the Tres Amigas SuperStation transmission hub in Clovis, N.M., and more ...